History is being made in Gaza, a tiny but hotly disputed sliver of land along the Mediterranean Sea. A planned pullout of some 9,000 Israelis from the region has been completed. The pullout is a key step in the current long-term plan for peace in the Middle East.
The Gaza strip is home to more than 1.3 million Palestinians. It is a violent hot spot in a fight that has raged in the Middle East for generations. In 1967, after a six-day war between Israel and Arab neighbors, Israelis began to move into Palestinian-controlled Gaza to create densely populated areas known as settlements. Israelis and Palestinians have frequently battled over who has claim to the land.
Two weeks ago, Israeli troops began to remove settlers who refused to leave their homes. The evacuation was expected to take several weeks but was completed in just one week. The pullout was tense for everyone. Israelis who opposed the plan were sad. Many Palestinians wondered what would happen next.
Top leaders will meet in New York later this month to discuss Palestinian control of the empty settlements. An important step has been taken, but peace in the Middle East remains a distant goal at the end of a rocky road.